Darkness
by redwolfoz
Summary: Darkness!verse. Ficlet series. Dawn moves back to LA and runs into an old friend.
1. Caliginosity

**Author's note:** This is a series of ficlets written in response to several LiveJournal community challenges.  
**30 minute ficlet for Dacie's birthday:** Dawn/Angelus, Dark

* * *

**Caliginosity**

by Red Wolf

Dawn had been heading home to her apartment when she heard the footsteps. A carefully measured beat that was a fraction out of sync with her own stride, giving that slight echoing effect that at first made her think it was her own footfalls bouncing off the building walls.

Turning a corner, Dawn removed her heels and sprinted for the doorway, a stake at the ready. She held her breath as her stalker neared her hiding place, fearing that her hammering heart would betray her position and as he drew near she attacked. With a yell she swept the man's feet out from under him and kicked him in the balls before taking off towards home.

"Dawn..."

The sound of her name brought her up short. Dawn turned back to the groaning man. "Angel?"

"Sorry..." He winced in pain. "...to scare you. I didn't know you were in LA."

Dawn stood over Angel, arms folded across her chest. "You didn't have to scare the daylights out of me."

Slowly getting to his feet, Angel held out a hand. "Truce?" Dawn accepted with a nod. "How about I make it up to you with a drink? We can catch up."

* * *

Dawn's mouth felt like something had crawled inside and died. She moved her tongue experimentally and decided it was definitely the culprit. Sometime during the night it had been transformed into a small furry animal and promptly died. Still coming to grips with gerbil tongue, she reached for a glass of water and discovered that she couldn't. Her arms didn't seem to be working.

Finally opening her eyes, Dawn noticed that her apartment ceiling had gained an ornate plaster rosette. "Hey." She tried to get up, but her bound hands and feet didn't allow her to get very far.

"Huh." Angel produced a small bottle, examined the label and replaced it in his pocket. "The boys in the lab said it would last longer than that, must be a Summer's thing."

"What's going on?" Dawn wasn't stupid, it wasn't the first time in her life that she'd seen Angelus in ascendance.

Angelus laughed. "Not one for the usual victim banter. I'd forgotten you were the smart one." He drew a knife from his jacket and Dawn's eyes widened. "Don't think you're getting off that easy. If I wanted you dead, you'd be cooling rapidly in that alley I found you in."

Cutting the ropes that bound Dawn's feet, Angelus roughly pulled her legs apart. "Let's see if you scream like your sister."

Angelus crawled up the bed, forcing her legs further apart and started to slice her clothes away.

Dawn closed her eyes and wished she had staked him in the alley. She swore to herself that she wouldn't give him the satisfaction of screaming, that was when the blade bit deep into the flesh below her rib.


	2. Foreshadow

**Foreshadow**

by Red Wolf

Spike was driving everyone at Wolfram & Hart insane. He was full of nervous energy, twitchy. There was something floating just beyond his perception and he was damned determined to pursue it until he could find what it was and beat it into a bloody pulp.

Wesley had been badgered into helping. He set his staff on apocalypse watch and personally double-checked any potential prophecies and reports from the company's team of psychics.

Gunn was keeping an ear to ground for anything strange in upcoming cases, but as all their clients came from the big box marked evil, he felt Spike was pushing his luck.

Lorne hadn't heard anything from his circle of contacts, but he was completely swamped handling a new contract for Cher. Even Harmony had been volunteered to assist with project. Spike had disappeared before he found himself hand-sewing sequins onto a stage costume.

It wasn't until he hit the lab that Spike's radar really started to kick in.

Fred had found one of her technicians stuffed in a storage room. The man had been well tenderised by someone both handy with their fists and either extremely lucky or possessed of the skills necessary to shutdown the lab surveillance cameras.

* * *

Spike spent several hours getting up the nose of medical staff as he waited to question the man.

"Stop torturing the doctors, Spike." Fred placed a warning hand on his arm, reminding him that it would be a bad thing to hurt the nice men in the white coats. "They're doing the best they can."

A small herd of medical staff rushed past Spike and Fred into the technician's room. Minutes later a nurse opened the door to inform them that the man had regained consciousness and could be questioned him. She stressed that they were not to upset the man and glared at Spike to make her point.

Spike shrugged but agreed to let Fred handle the inquisition. In the end it was all he could do not to throttle the man into speaking English instead of scientific babble. He bit his tongue until they left the medical suite.

"What was he talking about?"

"Angel asked him for a drug, then attacked him for no reason."

"The drug, Fred." Spike's hands were fisted in his coat pockets, he wanted to hit someone and it looked like he finally had a target.

"Oh, sorry." She pushed her glasses up her nose. "It's a variant of Rohypnol that was made for a client years ago."

"Fan favourite with wankers in clubs looking for a sure thing."

"Yes, but stronger." Fred stopped, Spike realised she wasn't at his side and turned, looking questioningly at her puzzled expression. "Why would Angel want a date rape drug?"

"Not Angel, love. Angelus."


	3. Salvage

**Salvage**

by Red Wolf

Spike and Wesley entered the building and took the stairs to the basement.

Finding Angelus had been easier than Spike had expected. Once they knew what to look for, Wesley's department came through with the goods in no time. It was such a fast turn around that Wesley made a mental note to check if the Senior Partners had fitted Angel with a tracking device.

At the bottom of the stairs, Spike turned to the left and checked the first door. He shook his head, heading for the next apartment, but smelled blood before he reached it.

Wesley prepared his weapons at Spike's alert, not fully appreciating the look of recognition and horror that crossed the other man's face.

At Wesley's nod, Spike kicked the door open and saw Angelus on the bed, a comatose woman beneath him. Angelus had barely enough time to look up before Spike tackled him to the ground, where they crashed into the wall in a tangle of limbs.

Angelus recovered first and lunged for the knife at the foot of the bed. Spike shadowed the dive, but wasn't quick enough to avoid a slash across his chest. He rolled to the side, making a wild swing that connected with flesh. The cosh in Spike's fist lent enough to the blow to smash Angelus' head into the bed frame.

"Spike, clear." Spike jumped out of the way as Wesley shot Angelus in the chest. The vampire slumped to the floor, the tips of two darts protruding from his shirt like colourful party favours.

Spike gave the downed vampire a vicious kick to the ribs, only partly to see if Angelus was faking, he didn't move.

Wesley radioed for a retrieval team, leaving Spike to check the woman on the bed. Her clothes had been ripped open, Angelus always was one for the dramatic, and she had sustained several serious cuts that were still oozing blood, making it difficult to ascertain the extent of her injuries.

Quickly untying her hands, Spike scooped her into his arms, remnants of her clothing trailing behind. The movement was enough to rouse the woman and she struggled until Spike gently set her on her feet and wrapped his coat around her shoulders.

She walked unsteadily towards Angelus, staring at him with a blank expression before spitting, her blood-streaked saliva staining his cheek. Then she collapsed.

Spike caught her easily and cradled her against his chest, whispering endearments into her hair.

Wesley wondered at Spike's attachment to the victim, at the silent tears coursing down his cheeks, when he was hit by a shock of recognition. "Is that Dawn?"

Spike nodded. Wesley radioed the ambulance, notifying them that Spike would be travelling with them to the hospital.


	4. Recovery

**Recovery**

by Red Wolf

Spike woke to the sensation of fingers combing through his hair in a soothing, repetitive motion. He made appreciative noises that made his head fondler giggle, then cough. Spike sat upright, suddenly wide awake.

"You're awake!" He poured her a glass of water. "Statement of the bleeding obvious, but you're awake."

It had been four days since Spike had carried Dawn's broken and bleeding body from the apartment Angelus had holed up in and he'd been practically glued to her side ever since. Much to the distress of the doctors who operated on Dawn. While they had managed to convince Spike that he couldn't enter a sterile area, they'd had to perform the operation with a frantic vampire smooshed against the glass of the observation window like a novelty car window ornament.

"You were purring."

"Was not."

Dawn rolled her eyes. "All right. You were making a noise suspiciously like a toy lawnmower."

"Better." Spike held Dawn's hand, bringing it to his lips. "Why didn't you tell me you were in LA?"

Dawn shrugged, wincing as the movement pulled at the bandaged wound on her neck. "Why did I have to hear that you were alive from Andrew?"

It wasn't an accusation or a childish attempt at revenge, Spike knew that, but he still felt bad about it. But he also understood what Dawn was trying to say. Sometimes you held things off so long, afraid of what would or wouldn't be said, that it got to the point where it was almost easier to avoid the situation and live in the land of denial.

"I'm sorry."

Dawn held her hand to his cheek. "I know. Me too." She indicated the chart at the end of her bed. "Let me see the damage."

Spike handed her the paperwork without argument, he'd learned that much.

Skimming over the medical terms, Dawn took her own inventory of injuries, matching the bandages and sore spots to the chart with little difficulty. "So, how did Angelus get loose?"

"From what I've heard, a junior in enchantments mispronounced a spell he was practising."

"I hope he turned himself into something slimy while he was on a roll." Dawn's words were light, her attention seemingly taken up by her medical records, but her tone held an undercurrent of steel.

"He was already slimy, love, he was a Buctrosz demon. Security footage shows that he transformed himself into a Dik Dik, a small African antelope, and managed to get into the ducting. No one has seen him since, but small piles of pellets have been appearing on the third and seventh floor near the water coolers."

"You're not kidding me?" Dawn raised a quizzical eyebrow and Spike shook his head. "Weirdness." She swung her legs out of bed and made to get up.

"I don't think so, Bit." He saw the determination on her face, but he also saw the pain she was fighting to hide. "Nurses would have my guts for garters if I helped you scarper. At least let them clear you first. Okay?"

Dawn nodded. It wasn't until she tried to get up that she realised how badly Angelus had hurt her. She was grateful that Spike gave her an option out. "I want out of here as soon as possible."

"On the condition I get to look after you."

Dawn agreed again, surprising Spike that she didn't fight. "Your place or mine?"

Spike grinned wickedly. "Whoever has the best digs. I'm betting that's your place."

"I'll hold you to that bet."


	5. Censure

**15 Minute Ficlets Challenge:** Incomplete

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**Censure**

by Red Wolf

Spike had lost his bet over their living arrangements. One glance into the nightmare that was Dawn's apartment and he barred her from setting foot in there ever again. His old crypt rated as a more comfortable abode and that was after Captain Cardboard was firebombed it.

Her linguistics and research skills had seen Dawn eagerly contracted to Wolfram & Hart, where she was working her way through the trickier translations from the too hard basket to Wesley's eternal gratitude.

It all looked like Angel's attack on Dawn during his brief reversion to Angelus has been forgotten, or carefully not mentioned, by everyone, Dawn included.

She was her bright cheery self, smiling through the meetings in Angel's office, but Spike noticed something that everybody seemed to miss. When Dawn's smile turned to Angel, it never reached her eyes and was more a baring of teeth than anything. So Spike stuck by Dawn both to protect her and for the sheer joy of seeing the shit hit the fan, but even he had to admit he couldn't be at her side all the time.

As was common practice with all translations that predicted death and destruction, a personal explanation on the possible ramifications of the divergent meanings was required to determine a course of action.

In this case, one translation indicated that the entire state of California would drop into the sea when the planets were in the appropriate alignment. But due to the grammatical nuances of the dialect in question, it may instead indicate that good surfing condition were to be expected for the coming months. Although there was a favoured version going around Translations that predicted Arnold Schwarzenegger being eaten by a small terrier at the next full moon.

Having made the formal assignments and setting the status of the prophecy, Dawn turned to leave, but Angel called her back. "I'm truly sorry for what happened, Dawn. I need you to understand that."

Glaring coldly at Angel, Dawn found that he couldn't meet her eyes, it seemed that there was a fascinating section of carpet at his feet. "You need me to understand?" Dawn tapped her Mont Blanc pen, a gift from Angel when she'd started at Wolfram & Hart, against her side with increasing agitation. "Well, I need you to understand something. If Angelus ever gets the chance to come out and play again, he should reconsider it. He will not be getting a second warning." She raised the pen and thumbed its clip.

"Dawn?" Angel looked at the woman in confusion. Then he noticed the pain in his chest and looking down, saw a bloom of red bleed into his shirt. He hit the floor with a thump.


	6. Settlement

**15 Minute Ficlets Challenge:** Practical

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**Settlement**

by Red Wolf

Dawn didn't react, as Angel slumped to the floor, she clipped her pen neatly back onto her notes and took a seat. Slouching down into the armchair until her head rested against its back, she stared at the ceiling. That was where Spike found her when he slammed the office door open in response to the gunshot.

"You okay, Bit?" He knelt in front of her chair, running his hands over her body checking for injuries. Satisfying himself that her appendages and organs were all present and accounted for, Spike gently cupped her face in his hands until she met his eyes. "Did he hurt you, love?"

Bursting into tears, Dawn threw herself into Spike's arms, it was the first time she'd cried since the attack. He held her tightly, murmuring nonsense against her hair to comfort her.

Wesley and Gunn performed an impromptu comedy routine as they tried to enter the office at the same time. "What's going on?" They saw Angel's body bleeding into the office carpet.

Wesley turned the body over and saw the massive exit wound left but the bullet, a sight that drew an impressed whistle from Gunn. Wesley made a quiet call, summoning medical personnel and standing down security.

"Dawn, would you care to tell me what happened?" Wesley's voice was soft, measured. "Did he turn again?"

Dawn shook her head. "This was payback." She wiped her eyes with the heel of her hand.

"You could have killed him?" Wesley wasn't accusing, just stating a fact.

Dawn laughed, a hard, brittle sound. "Missed his heart. I was aiming for a lung." She glared at the body, Angel's shoulder blade was a bloody mess, looking more like meat than man. "Didn't even hit the spine, he'll be up and around in no time."

"How did you get a gun through security?" Gunn was mentally checking off possible weak spots in the company's security arrangements, wondering if he'd missed anything.

Handing over her Mont Blanc, Dawn recited her technique in a monotone. "Custom altered, single shot weapon. Runes have been engraved on the barrel to hide it from the seers. Precog threat assessment didn't see a death threat on Angel, because I didn't plan to kill him. Just make them very, very uncomfortable."

Gunn looked impressed at the calculation and planning involved. Wesley looked a little frightened. Spike, who still held Dawn held against his side, looked pleased with her.

"Angel and I have had a chat and sorted out our differences. The slate has been cleaned." Dawn handed her paperwork to Wesley. "Translations need to give the report a once over before it's passed along for further action. I'll see you in the morning Wes, I'm taking the rest of the day off."

As Spike and Dawn walked out, a small antelope rounded the corner and trotted into Angel's office.

"Was that...?"

"The Buctrosz demon come Dik Dik? Yeah." There was a muffled thump and muted swearing, it sounded like a greased pig contest was taking part inside the office. "Let's get you home and into a hot bath, love."

"Want to grab Chinese on the way home?"

"Anything you want, Nibblet." He held up a credit card. "I lifted this from his nibs, can't see him missing it any time soon."

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**The End**


End file.
